Bank of America 500 Fact Sheet

Greg Biffle set a track record and starts out front, but Jimmie Johnson is the favorite.

Monte Dutton

Why not? It’s a money sport: Bank of America 500.

Every man’s home track: Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Recent proclivity: Kasey Kahne won the Coca-Cola 600 on May 27. Matt Kenseth won this race a year ago.

The hunch here: This race seems unlikely to shuffle the Chase. Denny Hamlin finished second in May. Brad Keselowski finished fifth. Jimmie Johnson was 11thbut … he has six career wins at CMS. I’ll take Johnson.

For the first time in slightly more than 33 years, no Earnhardt is in the race. David Pearson won the 1979 Southern 500 at Darlington while substituting for Dale Earnhardt. With Dale Earnhardt Jr. sitting out the next two races due to a concussion, Regan Smith is in the No. 88 Chevy.

The swapping rides spurred by Earnhardt Jr.’s absence gives A.J. Allmendinger, suspended earlier this year for a drug violation, a shot in the Phoenix Racing Chevy.

Ten years ago, a substitute driver won this race. In place of injured Sterling Marlin, Jamie McMurray won here on Oct. 13, 2002.

Informative, humorous or quotable in some other sense:

“I still love the race track. The 1.5-mile tracks look similar to a lot of people, but inside the car and on the track, this one drives way different than any of them. It’s fun.” – Jimmie Johnson

“You can’t do anything different. What are you going to do different? If you’re trying to do the things you do to win the race, you’re doing everything you can do. We’re already doing that.” – Tony Stewart